The IDF military censor determined that the information cannot be published in Israel. Until this week, the censor wouldn’t even permit Israeli journalists to refer to foreign media reporting on this story. In recent days, Yediot Aharonot published a flattering profile of Haftarwhich referred to a Kuwaiti article in al-Jarida, linked above, confirming these reports. Under Israeli censorship provisions, journalists prohibited from directly reporting on certain events often may refer to the same events via foreign publications and so skirt censorship.

Israel has a natural affinity for Middle East strongmen with little or no religious or ideological commitments - Jordan’s Abdullah, Egypt’s Mubarak and al-Sisi

The reports provide mounting evidence of direct Israeli intervention in the multi-sided Libyan civil war between Haftar, Islamist militias and Islamic State. My requests for comment tweeted to the IDF spokesperson unit and Lt Col Peter Lerner were unanswered at the time of publication of this article.

Egypt has sent "dozens of military personnel" to Libya to back its close ally Khalifa Haftar as Cairo presses ahead with attacks on terrorist training camps in eastern Libya, sources have told The New Arab.

Egyptian special forces and military intelligence officers have reportedly been deployed this week to bases controlled by forces loyal to Haftar to help plan an upcoming assault on the extremist-held city of Derna.

Egypt launched air raids on terrorist camps in Derna on Friday, hours after masked gunmen attacked a bus carrying Coptic Christians south of Cairo, killing at least 29 people.

"Egyptian warplanes will provide air cover for the anticipated operation with operational flights lasting two weeks," a security source, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said.

"The strikes will indiscriminately target all the militias fighting against Haftar, whether they are al-Qaeda, the Islamic State group or smaller jihadi groups," he said.

He added that the Egyptian military has expanded its presence on desert roads around the Libyan border town of Musaid after receiving reports that locals were helping militants cross into Egypt.